Ghost Planet
by Pixelframe
Summary: Graveheart and crew arrive on an unknown planet to search for its world engines. The mission goes awry when Pyrus suddenly disappears. With communication severed, their missing comrade must be found before they all are lost within the mysterious fog.
1. Noise

_**Writer's Updated Note:** Slate is a character I made up for this story. I don't own Shadow Raiders and what-not. Enjoy._

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**Ghost Planet - **Chapter 1

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**_Noise_**

Graveheart jumped down from the transport ship and slammed his feet onto something like half hardened concrete.

"Not much oxygen here, I think my flames going to go out... maybe I shouldn't be on this mission." Pyrus said shuddering.

The flame-headed prince was clearly showing signs he was uncomfortable. His flame was starting to dim and his charcoal face was turning a pale blue.

"Here Pyrus... I've been working on this device to help you adapt to extreme environments."

Tekla handed the prince a small device, not unlike the force field generator she created before.

"Hey thanks."

He clipped it to his waist and pressed the center button. A glowing wave engulfed the prince and soon faded, as it turned invisible.

Pyrus breathed in heavily and let out his breath with relief and satisfaction.

"Ahhh that's better..."

Graveheart lifted an intrigued brow at Tekla's new invention. "Let's get moving. We've got a world engine to find." He looked at his wrist and fumbled with the buttons on the suit. "Everyone check your communications; don't want anyone getting lost in this fog."

"Coms are good to go here." Slate answered. His eyes looked over his body suit making sure everything else was good to go_. Is there a reason I have to be here? Shouldn't I be commanding a battalion of troops or something? This place is creeping the hell outa me._

Graveheart noticed Slate was muttering under his breath.

_He's nervous_.

It was Jade who threw this newly appointed commander of the guard at his feet. _And for what? To break him into away missions? Annoy the hell outa me with blundering questions? She's probably on her throne smiling about it right now._

Either way, he was _his _responsibility and Graveheart never took that lightly.

"Okay people, let's split into two groups," Graveheart shouted, "Tekla and Pyrus will head north through the forest. The commander and I will head east towards the mountains."

"So... what _exactly_ are we looking for?" The question came from Slate who felt a bit stupid for asking after everyone turned and stared at him blankly. "Ahem... uh I mean... these world engines; they're at the core of the planet right? What do these teleport machines look like?"

Graveheart held back a sigh and beckoned the commander with his hand, "I'll tell you on the way."

...

The frequent snapping of branches in every direction made Slate shift his head nervously side to side. Nightfall was glooming down over them and the discoloured moons did not reflect the distant sun very well.

"Hey, take it easy." Graveheart said heartily as he looked back. His twitchy companion was extremely wide-eyed and paranoid. An amused smile lit up Graveheart's face, which seemed to calm the commander as he rubbed the back of his helmet and smiled back.

They came across the foot of a mountain which looked strangely different than the land they were walking on. It looked tiled with elaborately curved seams. Graveheart knelt and pointed his light to examine the unexpected find more closely.

"It's a path through the mountains." Graveheart said curiously.

"A man-made path? But the ship's scanners didn't pick up any humanoid life signs or energy signatures." _Or a world engine for that matter._

"It's possible the civilization was destroyed many years ago. How exactly is-"

"Not our concern. We should be focusing on what we came here to do; find the world engines, if they even exist."

Graveheart frowned and Slate knew what was coming. "We just stumbled upon a lost civilization and you want to toss it aside like it's a climate report?" Their eyes met but there was no real will to gain dominance or authority over the other. Slate knew he was acting out of self interest or rather cowardice and arguing would only damage the ground he stood.

There was a hiss behind them and Slate spun around. He lifted up his flashlight but the fog was too thick for the light to penetrate very far. Graveheart remained crouched and Slate stood uncomfortably still. They paused peering into the grey abyss.

Slate let out a breath that seemed to tingle the muscles all over his body. Sweat started to bead under his suit. _It's gone._

"The sooner we finish this damned mission the better sir."

"No argument here commander."

Graveheart gazed at Slate with concern. He watched as his comrade yanked off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His blue crystalized hair, which was wet, shined brightly through the darkness. Graveheart admired his composure, perhaps not one of a general's but likely someone who was aware of himself and others; aware of what needed to be done when the time was right.

...

Pyrus blurted a sound of irritation, "We've been walking for hours and your sensors still can't detect the world engine. Why are we _still _here?"

She looked at him intently. He usually was level headed (for a hothead), but Tekla could see something stirring within his eyes. There was anger and frustration but something else too; held back. It was... it was definitely... fear.

She smiled warmly and turned back to the scanning device she held.

"I think the question we should be asking is..." Tekla put a hand on her hip and started tapping the scanner to her chin, "why is this planet the only one with _no_ world engine?"

She stared into the sky above. Her eyes wandered from moon to moon as she studied the lines and craters that scarred each one.

"Five moons." The words echoed softly in Pyrus' mind as he said them. He tried to recall a memory or experience... anything that might hint an answer to Tekla's question.

The calm silence was suddenly shattered when a loud hissing sound pierced the fog from all sides. What at first resembled the noise of a snake soon turned into something entirely different as it changed pitch and got louder.

Both stood with arms jutted out in alarm. Their heads swerved in every direction. The sound was deafening; pulsating with immense terror.

Pyrus' mouth was quivering. He was trying to say something but Tekla's mind was too overwhelmed to focus. The noise penetrated her head and shrieked through her entire body. She desperately dropped to her knees, closed her eyes and slapped her hands to the sides of her head to stop the unbearable rattling.

Like a noisy spacecraft flying overhead, it started to fade. The hissing soon ceased altogether, but Tekla remained huddled. Her head was ringing and she continued to shake uncontrollably.

She forced her eyes open and saw the dark ground in front of her. There was a loud, sparkling crack and she turned her head to see Voxx motionless on the ground. Its circuit lights blinked excitedly for a brief moment then stopped.

She straightened herself upright and slowly looked around. There was no sign of Pyrus. She walked around cautiously, hands stretched outward in the fog, calling his name.

No response.

She felt around for her scanner and com device only to realize both were powerless.

She stood motionless; crippled. She could feel the fog around her shrouding her mind as it ate at her soul. Her world began to shrink into nothingness. _Father. Why did you make me go? I... I'm..._

Cold memories crawled around her mind spinning tangled webs of despair. Again she was...

_Alone._


	2. The Black Thing

_**Writer's Note:** I actually had to write this chapter 3 times in 3 different scenarios before I got it the way I wanted._

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**Ghost Planet - **Chapter 2

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**_The Black Thing_**

Still nothing.

Not even a murmur – just static. Something was wrong, Graveheart felt it in his bones. The night was still young, or at least it felt like it, and they were traveling through the mountains for a while now, on a stone tiled path that was like a river falling between the slopes of the dirt covered hills. For how long he couldn't be sure since the time on his wrist wasn't even displaying numbers anymore but weird symbols instead. They decided to rest for the moment in a diamond shaped clearing between mountain slopes. Graveheart laid comfortably on one of them with an arm behind his head, the other moving over his face every so often to see if the tiny screen still had the same unusual readings. He glanced up a few yards away at the soldier who was sitting almost cross legged on the ground massaging his rock feet. He never really noticed before, with the helmet and all, that he bore a deep scar over his left cheek. The commander had a slightly lesser build, but Graveheart could tell he had been in a messy scrap or two and not the bar kind.

"Damn pickaxe in my rock," Slate moaned, "could things get any worse?"

Graveheart chuckled, "yeah, things usually do." Slate shot him a not very amused look. "You better turn off that light, save some energy for when we need it." Graveheart said as he turned off his own light source.

Slate squinted directly into his flashlight and could tell it lost some of its juice since they arrived on the misty planet. With a click, it shut off. He looked back at his chief who was just a silhouette in the distance. He was looking at the stars that were fairly dull amongst the fog higher up.

Slate leaned back on flat ground. His mind wandered freely from their present situation and it drifted to something... someone who filled him with a warm feeling like he suddenly wasn't on this terrible planet anymore. Amber... small figure, that orange hair with yellow flecks, beautiful. He only knew her for a few days, but it was long enough for a connection to be made. She never liked the wars – quit after her first assignment – never told me why, not even that night when we talked for hours in bed... we yammered ourselves to sleep...

"You lug head. You shouldn't have," she said letting it dangle in the air from her fingertips over their heads.

"Gorgeous ain't it?" he whispered softly, "I'm dispatching for a new assignment tomorrow. Not exactly what I had in mind after my dazzling promotion, but I'll be out there with the leaders of this Alliance and somethin good's gotta come from that," he paused and looked into her stoney, orange eyes, "it will remind you of me when I'm out there fighting my guts out, shootin up the battlefield," he saw her smirk and roll her eyes. Then he touched her hand that was holding the trinket, wrapped then closed her palm gently inside his. His eyes locked onto the reddest of the moons and followed a canyon line streaking across its equator. _Amber, you're holding it in those small fingers right now aren't you girl? _Something broke through his thoughts and he lifted his chest and head to see his chief standing and alert, something was drawing his attention.

"Hey, what's up?" Slate shouted.

"Shhh, quiet – I heard something, over there," Graveheart whispered and pointed a finger up the tiled pathway they were following, leading up the mountain range. The fog was still as dense as ever but it seemed to be stirring, as if something was moving side-to-side amongst it making swirls of grey smoke.

Slate reached for his flashlight standing at his side but paused and decided it wasn't a good idea to reveal their position just yet. _As if my shouting didn't do that already_. He quietly got to his feet and edged his way beside Graveheart keeping his head fixed on the misty path ahead. They listened attentively for movement, footsteps on the tiled stone, words from an alien tongue or the squeal from a discharged weapon. Slate reached back for his pistol that lay fastened horizontally above his rear and took the handle but not drawing out the weapon. Then there came a familiar noise. It was the same sound they heard earlier at the base of the mountains. The hiss was very faint but it was enough to make Slate hold his breath. Every part of him froze, his eyes tunnel visioned on a fixed point in the fog.

Graveheart looked over at the commander and could see the anxiety on his face. If this was an alien, hopefully intelligent, it probably was immune to their scanners which would explain the absent life signs. Graveheart knew that first contact with the people of a new world was crucial and lay a gentle gloved hand on Slate's arm that was holding the handle of his gun. The commander snapped his head to look at Graveheart obviously startled. He understood the gesture and released his firm grip on the weapon. They both looked back into the fog but this time something was there. A large, dark figure emerged as it seemingly glided across the ground without a sound. It was round, four times the size of either soldier with large arms or maybe tentacles that seemed to sprout from its head in a fashion that resembled an overturned dead spider. It's mouth was just barely visible under the moonlight – it was open with it's jaw disturbingly stretched down to the ground – it was a massive gaping hole that seemed to make it impossible for the creature to ever close it again. Graveheart's own mouth was gaping as he studied the creature. It didn't appear to have eyes or maybe it did but underneath the sags of skin that were on either side of its bodiless head. The creature strangely didn't seem aware of the presence of either humanoid. Its sluggish movement was steady as it propelled forward by bobbing itself back and forth along a straight path towards them, softly hissing in rhythmn to its own movement.

Slate was cautiously side stepping out of the monster's path his eyes strained on the beast's tentacles which were flowing devilishly in the air. Whatever horrific intentions this alien had, it sure as heck wasn't going to be open to conversation he thought. The air around him was suddenly tainted with a rank odour smelling of decomposing plants and rotting wood. It filled his senses and seeped into his eyes, he recoiled and shut them while continuing to side step further.

There was some shadowed object on the ground he was about to walk into and Graveheart realized it was Slate's large flashlight standing high on its end. "_Slate!_" he sputtered catching his attention, "look out – beside you!" But it was too late. Slate's left bare foot knocked the flashlight over and it hit the stone ground with a clamorous thud and to both of their misfortunes, it turned on shooting a beam of light that erupted in the darkness. It rolled in an arc and its light was now shining directly onto the beast's head which abruptly turned to the commotion and started shaking wildly, its tentacles no longer in rhythmic flow but now flicking violently in the air. The monster exerted a high pitched hissing that penetrated the air and hit Graveheart's ears like flying pins. He fell to his knees and tension swelled his face. He could see the giant beast rapidly closing in on Slate who had his back to the ground, desperately shuffling backwards on his elbows.

"TURN IT OFF!" Graveheart shouted. He could barely hear himself yell through the deafening sound that was shaking the very bones of his body.

Slate quickly jumped onto the flashlight and rolled in a panic, dodging the black monster's charge. He clicked it off and looked back up at the thing that nearly swallowed him whole. The creature was spinning itself voraciously side to side still hissing loudly. It appeared frustrated, like it could no longer detect whatever it was that disturbed its peace. Both men could only cower in their fallen positions, frozen, their faces horror stricken as they watched the savage beast throw a tantrum.

It stopped abruptly, the shrieking. The creature's flailing limbs began to flicker slower – its overall demeanour was calming as if sedated by the returning darkness. It turned around to the sloping path and started resuming its rhythmic passage, disappearing into the fog and down the mountain pass. The quiet hissing soon faded and Graveheart felt it was safe enough to say something with the creature out of range.

"What in the maker was _that?_" he said breathing heavily.

"The local residence?" Slate croaked sarcastically.

"The creature seemed to be," Graveheart looked up at Slate, "drawn to light energy," he revealed an extremely worried face, which his comrade could not see.

"Yeah no kidding," the commander started hotly, "I figured that one out when it nearly had me for a light snack."

"Pyrus..." Graveheart began. Slate looked at him and understood why his voice held so much concern.

Graveheart looked down at the com screen on his arm. It was dead black. "If Pyrus and Tekla were attacked by that same creature, their communications would have been severed aswell."

"That explains the static," Slate interjected.

Graveheart hoped their assumptions were wrong, but the gloomy disposition of the planet was weighing down on his optimism. It was hard to believe a mission, which at first seemed like a routine sweep, could go so wrong. He looked up into the sky and scanned the five moons, which seemed to be drifting farther apart from one another.

_Pyrus... Tekla... I've never given up on you and I'm not about to start._

_Just keep that inner flame lit kid, we'll find you._


	3. Shadows and Flame

_**Writer's Note:** Sorry for the wait I was studying for those darn exams. This chapter's a bit shorter just to give you guys something to nibble while I work on the more bulky part. Cheers_

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Ghost Planet - Chapter 3

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**Shadow and Flame**

It was the same thing in every direction she walked; skinny dead trees. The same flat dirty land, the same dense fog surrounding all sides and of course the same dreary night that never seemed to even hint at a sunrise. Maybe she should just sit down and rest for a while. Why not even lay down and sleep? She would wake up completely lost, not remembering what direction she came from, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore. Someone stepped into the moonlight. It was Jade. She crossed her arms and frowned at Tekla, "don't just stand there girl, make yourself useful for a change." The words, however painful, were comforting to hear all the same. "Hey Tekla! What's up babe?" The large toad body checked Jade out of the way, and he flung out two gun fingers plus a wide smile that was more loathsome rather than charming. Jade soon enough grabbed both fins at the back of his head and started shaking him wildly like a milk shake. "Femur can't you see she doesn't have time for your . . . disturbing body language," Cryos said walking onto the scene. "Quite right father, and while your at it toad, remove yourself from our presence! The smell is unbearable!" The Lady Zera held a hand over her face and shooed Femur away with the other saving him from Jade's barbaric thrashing. Pyrus followed in the rear, shaking his head and smiling after them, his flame was as bright as ever. He glanced at Tekla and kindly waved. _Jade, Femur, Cryos, Zera . . . Pyrus . . . it's so wonderful to . . . _But the voices soon faded and the images began to lose their colors until her mind filled with darkness again. _Wonderful, I'm hallucinating now. _She looked sadly at the ground, slumping her arms. _It's my fault, isn't it? I should have grabbed him and held him tight so nothing could have taken him away. Why didn't you do anything Tekla? You are always so weak!_ Her head sagged even lower and her hands turned to fists.

"Haven't we talked about this?" He laid a giant hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. He was beaming at her with one of his smiles – the kind that never failed to understand and comfort her in the past. But it wasn't enough this time and she suddenly collapsed to her knees, unable to control her emotions. "Common now don't be so hard on yourself."

"And why not?" she cried, "Pyrus was taken away! We're stranded on this planet in the middle of nowhere and with no way to contact each other! What am I supposed to do Graveheart? Tell me." Her last words didn't make it all the way from her trembling lips.

"The only _thing_ you can do princess. The only thing we do when the Beast threatens to destroy our worlds, and they succeed. Everything you ever loved is lost when your entire home is devoured in one swallow, along with your family, friends . . . There's only one thing you can do."

She stared at the ground, "please . . . tell me Graveheart."

His gentle smile faded and his expressed turned stern, "look at me Tekla."

She looked up at his sudden change in tone.

"We never give up hope Tekla. No matter how small our chances are, by some higher power or by the Maker himself, we get through it – we always do. You just have to believe it," he offered an open hand, "You can't keep blaming yourself for everything bad that happens. Pyrus is still out there and he needs you. Are you just going to give up on him?"

_No. I could never do that to him._

"Then take my hand."

She raised her hand to grasp his but her hand moved through it as if nothing was there and the hallucination fizzled away until he was gone. She was alone with her thoughts again, but sadness did not return to fill the darkness as she expected, instead something else, something good replaced it. A candle was lit inside her after hearing his words, it was dim but warm enough to get her back on her feet. She knew what she had to do now. Laying down and feeling hopeless and guilty for herself wasn't an option anymore – no, she was going to look for Pyrus and she wouldn't stop until she found him.

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	4. Dubious Demons

_**Writer's Note:** You're supposed to have lots of fun when you write stories right? Jeez I must be doing something wrong... :P Thanks every1 who left comments. Really is the driving force to me to keep writing. I'll go back and fix up my other chapters some time. Enjoy_

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**Ghost Planet **– Chapter 4

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**_Dubious Demons_**

The air began to smell more and more like rot and mould which troubled Graveheart. They had decided it was best to return to the ship but retracing their steps was proving to be extremely difficult. He glanced to his right and saw Slate was still gripping his gun tightly as if they were in immanent danger. It was completely understandable, but Graveheart believed it was best to remain calm. His feet were getting sore after walking up and down mountains and it didn't help traveling with a companion who complained about it every minute. The constant reminders of the planet's decrepit environment and their lack of working flashlights only added to the agony of it all. Graveheart looked at the night's sky and sighed heavily. It was his fault they were in this mess. _Isn't it? I'm the one who split us up so we could cover more ground. And now we're all lost._ His eyes squinted. He couldn't be sure but something had changed. _Why does it look different? The sky it looks ... brighter. _It was that gradual, undetectable change in brightness that's only noticeable once some time goes by.

"Commander—"

"Huh! What?" Slate's voice slightly cracked, "oh, you say something chief?"

"You alright?"

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his helmet and re-holstered his gun, "sounded like you were gunna tell me something important."

"Take a look at the sky. Is it just me or did it get brighter up there?" Graveheart said pointing a vertical finger.

"No ... really?" He took a good long gaze, "that's one long and cruel sunrise."

"You made some readings of this solar system before we came here right? Can you remember anything that might explain the long nights?"

"Well I've actually been coming up with a theory but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. I skimmed over the rotational speeds and axis angles of the planet and its moons." Slate crossed his arms and mumbled to himself for a moment. He paced back and forth writing in the air with his fingers. "Yes, that would explain it."

"You figure it out?"

"Good speculation at best. The biggest moon, let's call it Chubby, isn't above us is it?"

Graveheart counted the moons. He could only see four now, which wasn't true a few hours ago. "No."

"My guess is that the sun is near the horizon, but the planet is being eclipsed by Chubby. It would explain the increase in brightness of the sky, can't be sure because of this blasted fog."

"How long do you think the eclipse will last?"

"Well," Slate sighed, "you see, _this_ eclipse will probably last a few hours."

"What do you mean _this_?" Graveheart asked knowing what bad news was to come.

"It's possible that the moons revolve around the planet precisely so that it's eclipsed for a good part of its journey around the sun, if not entirely."

Graveheart couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could a civilization have survived without any sunlight? "You could guess all that from a few vector readings?"

"Hey Jade didn't make me Commander of the Guard because of my good looks alone y'know." He smirked and continued walking ahead.

_Jade wouldn't have made him commander unless he had the right stuff. Then why send him on a mission of exploration? He should be training soldiers and forming battle tactics. Was it really just to get on my nerves? I wonder what I did this time to tick her off. She obviously couldn't come talk to me about it herself._ It was at that moment in which Graveheart realised driving each other further apart was the last thing she would do. And then it clicked. It was her messed up way of letting him know he still mattered to her. She made a decision and wanted Graveheart's opinion on the matter. It was more of that indirect affection she was putting at his feet ever since she was crowned. _She wants my evaluation then?_ _So, the Empress does care what I think after all. What are you afraid of Jade? Stop hiding behind that throne._

"Chief!" Slate yelled.

"Hey keep it down," Graveheart sprinted to the commander's side and looked in the direction he was pointing. Something was protruding high from the fog. It seemed to shine as it reflected the moonlight. Relief lit up Graveheart's face.

"Finally, I wouldn't have any feet left if we walked another hour," Slate groaned.

The wing of the ship became more apparent as they drew closer, but the rotting smell in the air was becoming stronger. This was a very bad sign. "Wait," Graveheart said shooting an arm in front of Slate.

"What's wrong?" He stared at Graveheart who remained silent and focused ahead. "Nasties?" Graveheart nodded. Slate stepped back and reached for his pistol.

Fog began to swirl and he could hear slow footsteps approaching. A figure emerged. It wasn't the giant blob they were expecting. Instead the creature was was bipedal and had a slender body. It's head seemed oddly unproportioned.

"Cryos!" Graveheart yelled. He couldn't hold back a giant grin. "Thank the maker! How did you know?" Cryos rose a hand and Graveheart stopped. The expression of the ice king was absent of any joy or relief. It was completely emotionless and it made Graveheart uneasy.

"You must leave immediately." Cryos said coldly.

"But, Tekla and Pyrus—"

The icy voice cut in, "are dead."

Graveheart stepped forward, his face turned to shock, "No! They can't be!" His body suddenly felt weak, his stomach began to churn. _I've failed them. They depended on me to protect them, and I failed them!_

Cryos' expression was unchanged, "we must leave this place." He gestured towards the ship.

Slate was standing in terror, his head was slowly shaking side to side in disbelief.

"Did you... recover their bodies?" Graveheart said staring at the ground. Cryos said nothing and turned to walk towards the ship.

Slate's voice was quivering, "where ... where is the Aurora _Cryos_."

Cryos looked back, "Oh Slate please! We must leave in your ship! Don't leave me here Slate, please." The sudden change in his tone sent chills up Graveheart's back. The blue man continued walking towards the ship until he disappeared into the fog.

"I've never met Cryos but I'm pretty sure that wasn't him," Slate said quietly. His eyes were wide open still staring into the fog.

Graveheart turned to him frowning, "What do you mean? How can you be sure?"

"Because I saw someone I knew," Slate breathed heavily and knelt to the ground, "it was Amber."

"Amber?" Graveheart looked completely bemused.

"She's sorta my girlfriend back on Rock. I couldn't understand why she would even be here, but when you called her Cryos, I knew we weren't seeing the same person. I tried to play along to see what would happen."

"Cryos was defiantly not being Cryos and if that wasn't him, then we can't trust anything he said."

"So what now?" Slate said hopelessly, "in addition to giant blobs, this planet has creatures who can impersonate our friends?"

"Let's just get to the ship so we can scan for Pyrus and Tekla. We might solve a few of these mysteries while we're at it."

"Aye chief." Slate leaped to his feet. "Did I ever mention how much I hate it here?"

Graveheart smirked, "I've stopped counting."

The Surmount appeared to be as they left it: bulky, rusted and littered with blast marks. The ship itself was rather famous among the Alliance. It defied every manner of destruction in the war with the Beast, transporting people of different race and class safely from one destination to another. It was the last surviving transport ship in an ambush by Beast fighters and every clash since then it came out with only a few bruises. Graveheart didn't understand the concept of a famous piece of scrap and when he was supposedly honoured with it for the mission, he found it hard to be rude and deny the ugly thing. With a fist he hammered the door release on the ship but nothing happened. It was hardly surprising.

"There's something on the hull," Slate said pressing a finger in something near transparent, "it's ... slimy. What the heck is it?" The slime stretched from his finger as he pulled it back and a clump of it fell to the ground with a mellow splash. He made a fitting sound of disgust and looked at Graveheart who was paying more attention to the uncooperative door.

He sighed and banged the ship in annoyance, "we'll have to get in through the top hatch," Graveheart said.

With some combined effort, the hatch spun open and the smell of stale, metal air that emerged was rather refreshing. Heavy feet landed inside and the entire ship shook and rattled as if its bolts were going to pop loose.

"If the monsters out there won't get us, the ship will after it collapses and crushes us under a hundred tons of steel," Slate snorted.

It was completely dark inside which concerned Graveheart since he left a few systems on in case either party needed to contact the ship. "Slate can you turn on main power?"

"Aye sir," he said fumbling in the darkness. He pulled a lever and could only laugh when no power came on.

"What could have drained all the ship's power?"

"Giant tentacle monsters is my first guess," Slate said, "but it's a good thing I was in the mood to follow away mission protocol. There's extra power cells for our flashlights in the storage along with a supply of energy coils for the ship. Let's hope they get her runnin again."

After some toiling and a few burned fingers, the new coils were installed. "Let's boot it up," Graveheart said. With a flip of the switch, the flight console was lit with blinking lights and the sounds of powered circuitry began flowing through the ship. "Let's turn off everything except sensors and coms, we don't want to attract anything out there."

"Somehow, I think it's a bit too late for that chief, but I'll do it anyway."

Graveheart turned on the scanners. His mind suddenly flashed to Cryos. The words coming from his icy voice were like stabs to his heart: "they're dead Graveheart." He wrapped his hands around his head and tried to get the image out.

Slate was going to voice his concern when a beeping sound came from the console. "Uh chief, we've got a video transmission here." The screen was a hazy white and they heard no sound accept for the popping of static.

"Where's it coming from? The Aurora?"

Slate read the signal readings, "no sir," he said with some optimism, "this transmission's local."

They both watched the screen not daring to blink. A grey shape began to take form at the center and Graveheart held his breath.


	5. Gattaus

_**Writer's Note:** Hello! Sorry for the wait. The motherboard on my laptop keeps breaking and these repair people take weeks to fix stuff! Enjoy._

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**Ghost Planet – Chapter 5**

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_**Gattaus**_

There was a winding path leading down to a grey and dilapidated structure. Aside from the fact she was completely without direction, it was almost exciting to see the remains of a lost people. Old pathways whose intricate patterns were worn from storms and large areas of crop that had lost their pristine were now dried out fossils from their prosperous day. It was a stimulating experience she would often share with her data analyzing floating ball. It had become more of a companion than a mere useful instrument.

Despite the many hills in the now partly lit forest, her mobile abilities were still resilient no doubt due to the advanced internal systems of the Tek body. Her wide eyes closed for a moment and opened as she scanned the large manmade wall before her. She gently laid a palm on the surface and pressed an ear beside it. The metal was cold against her but she remained still and listened. The silence was soothing and she relished it.

"Maker punish you! What do you think you are doing trespassing here?"

Tekla gasped and swung around to see a creature on one leg whose skin was a ghostly pale. It was a male judging by his voice. An arm was on his skinny hip and another held a metal rod which appeared to act as his support. His clothes were that of torn rags and his small head was covered with jagged white cones that Tekla suspected was his beard. He had no visible nose or ears but his eyes were big enough to make up for both. He spoke from a hidden mouth, his voice as muffled and ancient as before, "well? Go 'on get you!"

Tekla relaxed her tensed limbs and walked slowly towards him trying to look as unhostile as possible. She gestured with an open palm, "I am sorry to have disturbed you. Please I mean you no harm. If you would just give me a moment to explain—"

"Bah!" He waved out a hand in annoyance, "I don't want your games female. All you apparitions need to get on with your damn petty lives and leave me in peace for Maker's sake!" Hopping on the one leg, the skinny man made his way around the corner of the structure and disappeared without another sound.

"Wait!" Tekla bolted around the corner, but there was no sign of the creature. Oddly enough, there was no sign of a door either. "Hello?"

"Go away!" The old voice boomed from inside the building.

She looked side to side for anything resembling a doorway but it was solid metal all around. "My name is Tekla, what is yours?" She begged trying to keep contact going.

"Tekla? What a strange name! Mine is Rainfall. Okay? Happy? Now go away!"

"Please, I cannot!" She paused to regain her calm. The words "I'm from another planet" were on her tongue but somehow she knew it would make matters only worse. "I have lost a friend. Won't you help me find him or at the very least provide me with information? Then I would gladly leave you in peace." There was silence.

A creature's head suddenly popped out from the metal wall and Tekla jumped back startled. His face appeared saddened as his large eyes drooped heavily, "I'm sorry to hear that dear. Well come inside then." He squinted past her and to the distance as if scanning for followers, "I suppose it's light enough to be safe. Nothing following I assume." An arm appeared through the metal beckoning her, and then he turned and disappeared into the structure once more.

Tekla pushed with both hands on the cold surface, but it was impenetrable. She folded her arms and stood pondering. It was either some form of advanced technology or she had to have the body of an alien to pass through solid objects.

"Well? I may have the rest of eternity lass, but you sure don't if you're just gonna stand out there."

"I cannot pass through."

His head popped out again but this time his eyes were slits gazing at her intensely. "Are you thick lass? Take off that stupid body armor."

Tekla was slightly offended. "This is not body armor. Can you not see I am not of your people?"

A hand stretched out to touch her arm. Tekla remained still and politely smiled to show she was comfortable with the gesture. The hand composed of four fingers all of which were stubby and callused. It was rough on her metallic skin, but he was gentle as an old man would be, feeling her cheeks and her mouth. He took his hand back quickly, "Oh! The Maker shines upon us on this day!" He came from the building completely and knelt to the ground with his fingertips together and eyes shut as he began muttering words.

"Please, what are you doing?"

He rose and disappeared into the structure where she heard the clanging of metal parts. There came a drilling noise that shook the entire structure. Tekla drew back a few steps and was rather afraid the entire thing was going to collapse any second. With a loud bash a piece of metal flew out from the wall revealing an inviting gap that was the hidden door. He stood in the entranceway smiling triumphantly and then bowed as best he could. "Come in!"

"Did you . . . kick the door open?" Tekla asked walking past him and into the building.

"Goodness no lass."

The room was small compared to the grandness of how it looked on the outside. Pots of plants littered the floor; large ones at the corners stretched as high as the ceiling which conveniently was made into a sunroof. Bright blues and yellows decorated the green stems as plump flowers or perhaps fruit as they bore no pedals but were no burden for the plants themselves. The air was sweet like that of the flower's nectar. A device resembling a computer screen lay against the wall but appeared to be powered off.

"They're called Midnight Blossoms," the alien said, "as the name suggests, they don't need sunlight to grow. You'll see the flowers start to lose their colors after the next Revealing. Pretty aren't they?" He gently plucked a blue flower from the plant beside him and handed it to the metallic woman.

"They are wonderful." Tekla accepted the gift and studied it with much adoration. "Why do you let the light in if they require none?"

"Goodness lass! How would you like to be cooped up in a shack without the ray of morning? It's brief enough as it is."

"I suppose you are right – Rainfall is it?" The pale man nodded. "What do you mean by the Revealing?"

Rainfall sighed. He sat on a cushion on the floor and invited Tekla to join him on another. "I suppose it's best that I start from the beginning. After all that is why you are here. To restore our planet, make things the way they were?" His eyes were full of happiness but quivered with sorrow.

Tekla let the flower rest on her lap. She looked into his eyes and then slowly to the ground."

"Are you not the ones who built Virra's great engine?" His voice was filled with desperation.

Tekla looked up with wide eyes, "Virra, is that the name of your planet?"

"As far as I know!"

"Then you speak of the world engines! A powerful machine capable of moving your entire planet across space!"

"Yes well," Rainfall crossed his arms and looked towards the windowed roof, "that was the whole plan until they were destroyed."

"Destroyed? Destroyed how?"

"Creatures we call the Gattaus Demon. Most believed they came down from the moon called Gattaus, but that's all nonsense. The meteor that they crashed down in was dated older than our planet, probably our solar system. How does a great Divine not know these things?"

"Because I am not this person you speak of. I come from a planet called Tek and I am here with others from different worlds. We came here to study the planet and its world engines. But, we had no idea it was still habited."

"It isn't. Not in the intelligent life form sense." He saw the confusion on Tekla's face. "When the Gattaus came down, they were only little things the size of . . . that flower. We were foolish, foolish people. We deemed them one of the most exciting scientific finds of the century!" He paused to shake his head, "the Science and Agriculture sector did experiments on them; nothing cruel of course. Then they began to grow. It didn't take long for culturists to realize they were feeding off of the sun.

"We kept finding dead instruments throughout the facility. Lights, batteries, crop equipment, all were being drained of power. In the mean time the bastards were getting bigger, and uglier. It all looked like harmless animal behavior at first but I knew – I knew something bad would come from them. No one wanted to listen to a culturist in training. They said I was being ignorant and threatened to revoke my scholarship unless I kept my mouth shut.

"They got loose one night. Drained the whole Maker damned facility, dozens on them. Soon they were in people's backyards draining crop converters. People were terrified."

"Did no one do anything to stop them?"

"They tried. You see, the Gattaus never harmed a single person and the Agriculture sector wanted them alive to use them as some sort of renewable energy source. A replacement for crop energy."

"Crop energy?"

"We grow crops that absorb the sun's energy in a special way. With crop converters we can absorb this energy and use it for our daily lives. Well we used to anyway. These Gattaus were found to absorb a thousand times more energy from the sun than a simple plant patch. No more backbreaking labor in the fields, we would just sit back and let these monsters power everything. It sounded like a great idea at first, but they couldn't control them."

"Did these . . . Gattaus destroy the world engines?"

His eyes glared, "want to see for yourself?"

...

They came to a clearing in the forest. At the center was a circle of runes and beside it appeared to be a gaping hole in the ground.

"The teleport pad," Tekla whispered under her breath.

"The Gattaus drained its energy before we could even study it fully. We had to drill a hole—well more like a tunnel system just to reach the engine room."

"How long did it take your people?"

"Too long and at the cost of too many lives lass."

"The Gattaus . . . you were going to use the engines somehow to stop them."

Rainfall beckoned her, "follow me lass and stay close you don't want to get lost down here."


	6. Mechanism of a Leader

_A/N: Yeah I got off my lazy behind and started writing._

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_Ghost Planet - Chapter 6_

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**Mechanism of a Leader**

With glaring eyes and an unfortunate feeling of scepticism, Graveheart studied the man on the screen with close observation. If it was another illusion, it was doing a poor job of passing on a sad dread, not unlike the kind he experienced only hours ago. Indeed, it was the same illusion; it was Cryos. But with his large round eyes widening, revealing an expression of honest relief and his concerned mutters of the name 'Graveheart' over and over, it was clear to Graveheart that this was no illusion. The Ice man was showing every bit of himself that Graveheart had come to know and respect of him as a close friend. And with this, he let out a heavy breath from his rocky lips, which eased his stringy nerves and allowed him to bathe in relief.

He knew it was safe to smile. "Cryos! Cryos, by the Maker, is it really you? King Cryos?"

Slate was focused on the control panel trying to make the transmission clearer. The picture of Cryos finally came through like crystal, and his voice was clear as if he was standing before them. "Well I'd rather hope so, unless there was a swift election in my brief absence." The remark was refreshing to Graveheart, devoid of the turmoil and confusion of the circumstances. "Where have you been Graveheart? I understand taking some time to delve into the wonders of a new world, but for days? I would have come sooner, but my attention was needed in the alliance where, by origins I am completely ignorant of, tempers are steaming. It would appear the planets are in an uproar. Where is Pyrus? This is involves _him_ unfortunately."

The content feelings inside immediately flushed away, and the reminder of the grim weight on his shoulders tore away his grin. "There was something unexpected here. It was . . . my fault. It _is_ my fault." He found himself lost for words. If he were to continue to explain, he knew he'd probably fall deeper in regret. It was something he knew well of himself, it was expected, and at the moment, he was punishing himself. "He is lost on the planet, along with Tekla. I ordered us to split into teams to look for the world engines . . . communication—our devices were drained of power, there is no way to communicate with them, we have no idea where they are. This planet, it has strange creatures, strange things are happening—and this blasted fog!" Graveheart pounded his fists angrily on the console. Slate turned to him in surprise, his state of mind clearly on a different level than his chief's.

The commander poked his head in front of the monitor seeing Graveheart in no condition to continue talking. "Uh this is Slate, Commander of the Guard. How long ago did you get here?"

Cryos nodded in recognition. "A few hours ago. We couldn't detect any readings of your ship, so we landed and split up in hopes we could find a familiar signal. Unfortunately, when we returned to the ship without success, it was found dead, completely drained of power. I am still waiting on the return of one of my scouts who isn't responding to hails. I assume I should fear the worst, if this is no coincidence to Pyrus and Tekla's disappearances."

"I'm sure you got the reports of the initial scans of the planet and how it was uninhabited. Well you can throw them out the hatch, 'cause this planet has big inhabitants, with an emphasis on the big. They are the ones responsible for sucking your ship dry, and right now, I think it's best we meet right away."

Cryos nodded firmly. "If the threat is as dangerous as you say, we should meet halfway. I have your coordinates here in my hand, we should meet each other within an hour. Try to stay in contact, but if anything should go wrong and communication is severed, stay there. We will find you." His next words were directed at Graveheart, the voice calm and sincere. "Don't worry old friend, we will find them. Together."

Graveheart was not reassured, but he mustered a half smile and spoke. "Be safe. And if you run into any of these creatures, don't provoke them. They are attracted to heat and energy and should completely ignore you if your instruments are powered off."

"Understood."

With that final word, the image of Cryos was gone and the two of them exchanged glances, fearing the worst.

Slate's young face grew tense. "So, I'll go fetch the king. You should stay here in case he contacts the ship again." Slate got up and started walking to the rear of the ship.

"No."

The commander stopped and turned at the blunt rejection. "No? Sorry to say chief, but you're in no condition to be wondering the planet on your own and someone needs to stay—"

"We are _not_ splitting up." Graveheart's voice was filled with so much bottled anger that Slate drew back, deciding not to argue with the man. "I'm not making the same mistake twice. We go together, understood?"

"Yeah . . . sure, sure."

The larger rock man sighed. Maybe he was being too firm on the kid, but it was necessary. He knew the commander was out to prove himself. It was the same outlook every up and coming soldier had, and it was something Graveheart saw all too often getting men his age killed. It had been like that for him when he was a Quarrior, although it wasn't always the driving force. Ever since Jade entered the folds of the army, his reasons to fight became more personal, more clear. Every fight was to protect her, to make her proud of him, to make her smile, as futile as the attempts were at times. Her face and teasing smirk were all he needed as a reward at the end of the day.

He gazed after Slate. The commander glumly sunk down into the chair, staring blankly outside the pilot window where the fog was set and darkness was beginning to lift. It seemed he was waiting for his superior officer to act so he could follow, and it made Graveheart realize this was something very damaging for him to be experiencing. It was attention to authority, not for the sake of heeding the chain of command, but for Graveheart's sake. The young man didn't want to put any more strain on his 'chief' and make the situation worse. Ignoring his own judgement, he succumbed to the decision without any discourse. It reminded Graveheart of himself and his own sacrifices in vanity he made just to keep the alliance alive and strong against the Beast. He now understood why Jade made him commander of the Rock infantry. It wasn't because of his ability to give orders or to form battle tactics; it was because she saw Graveheart inside of him. A young leader who didn't know his potential and would forgo his commanding status for a while if he knew it would help him understand a fellow soldier a little better.

"Hey," Graveheart said in a more cheerful tone. "Got any spare com devices stored in here?"

"You know me." Slate gave a one sided smile. "Always one for double packing."

The both of them strung up the necessary equipment for the rendezvous with Cryos, and they powered off the Surmount before exiting through the rear hatch.

"I'm happy the door is cooperating this time."

"Hey chief! I'd say things are looking up already."

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_I wanted to continue writing and actually get into the action/mystery bits, but considering the theme I had for this chapter, I thought it was best to end it there._


End file.
